Eggplant Rollatini
From Cats’ Kitchen
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 40 min
Total Time: 1 hours | Yeilds Servings: 5
Ingredients
2 large eggplants,sliced lengthwise (¼-inch thick slices)
Filling:
1 cups ricotta or cottage cheese
½ cup parmesan cheese, shredded (plus additional parmesan for dusting over top of the dish)
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 egg
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspon pepper
3 Tablepoons basil, chopped (plus more for the top of the dish)
2 ½ cups marina
½ cup mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Trim ends and slice eggplant thin (leave skin on) into ¼-inch thick pieces.
Salt eggplant and let it “sweat” for about 10 minutes—then pat dry with paper towels and wipe off remaining salt.
Lay eggplant on a lightly greased pan and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.
In a small bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, parmesan, egg, salt and pepper, minced garlic, and fresh basil.
Then spoon 1–2 Tablespoons of the ricotta filling onto the bottom of the eggplant slice. Roll it up and repeat until the ricotta filling is finished.
In a baking dish, spoon half the sauce onto the bottom and then place the eggplant rolls in the dish.
Spoon the remaining sauce over the top of the dish.
Then top with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes covered, then remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes uncovered. Remove from the oven and enjoy!
Notes
Reheating tips: preheat oven to 350 degrees F, place the rollatini in an oven-safe dish and cover with foil. Heat until warm (about 10–15 minutes).
Freezing tips: Prepare rollatini as directed, but don’t bake. Cover completely with plastic wrap first and then foil. Freeze for up to 1–2 months, then let thaw at room temperature and bake as the recipe instructs
Tips for Success
Make sure the eggplant is sliced thin enough. If the eggplant is sliced too thick or unevenly, it will cause the rollatini to bake unevenly, leaving some pieces to be tougher and under-cooked. To ensure the eggplant is evenly cut and properly cooked, your best bet is to use a mandoline and slice each at 1/4 inch thickness.
Additional herbs you can use. What makes this recipe shine is using a ton of fresh basil! But that’s not the only herb you can use. This recipe also tastes wonderful with fresh oregano! And even fresh thyme or Italian parsley. If you’d like to add a little heat, you can also toss in a pinch of red pepper flakes to the herb filling too!
Our favorite tomato sauce to use. Choosing a quality tomato sauce for your rollatini matters because it’s a huge source of the dish’s flavor. If you want to use a store-bought tomato sauce, we recommend Raos! But if you want to make your own sauce, we love serving this with our San Marzano tomato sauce, or, our spicy arrabbiata tomato sauce.
Recipe from A Simple Plate
